Dancing on Ice bids goodbye to Gemma Collins – but will ratings fall after The GC's exit?

Original diva Gemma Collins has been given the boot from Dancing on Ice.

The TOWIE star – alongside professional partner Matt Evers – was eliminated from the ITV competition following a skate-off against cricket star Ryan Sidebottom.

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Only achieving a score of 15.5 for her routine earlier in the episode, Gemma was left bottom of the leaderboard and favourite to leave.

"I just want to bow out gracefully; it’s time to let them all go on. I wish them all the best of luck, they’re working so hard," Collins said after all four judges opted to save Sidebottom in the skate-off.

And when asked by host Willoughby whether she’d continue skating, Collins replied: “Probably not, no.”

But does The GC’s exit mean that fewer people will tune into the series next Sunday? As Brian McFadden suggested, the drama-prone contestant was a key reason audiences watched the show.

Filmed paying tribute to Collins on James ‘Arg’ Argent’s Instagram story, the former Westlife star – who is also a contestant on the show – was filmed lifting his glass and announcing: “Let's be honest, if it hadn't been for you, nobody would have watched this f**king show!”

In a second clip, McFadden added: “And on a final note, you will notice that none of the people from ITV are here because they're all trying to figure out how the f**k they're going to get ratings next week."

However, looks like at least some viewers were ready to see Collins and her slightly underwhelming ice-dancing talents go home.

Matt Evers also joked about being happy to see his dance partner leave the competition, saying on Argent’s Instagram story: “I’m free at last!”

However, he added: "It’s been absolutely amazing. You almost killed me, but I'm still alive and so are you."

Dancing on Ice continues on Sunday at 6pm on ITV

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